Stitches of the Heart
by Madamenobody
Summary: Kanaya runs a small shop, where she helps to clothe the young trolls on Alternia. But when a familiar face shows up, she's forced to come to terms with her past. Can she handle the pain of lost friends and the new feelings finding a place in her heart?
1. Chapter 1

Warning: This is an KanEri fanfiction, and other ships will include TavRis and GemEzi. This is AU, and my own silly creation for wish fulfillment ships that will never be canon. This may contain character death, or mention of character death, in the future, but I'm planning on it. So, if you can handle all that, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter one: A New Customer

Kanaya smoothed her dress. It was beautiful. A deep jade color, with a swooping neck, low, but not too low. It swept on the ground, and the sleeves reached down to her wrists. It sparkled and shined, but not overly so. It really was perfect. Her hair was done perfectly, lipstick done perfectly, her shoes were in perfect taste, everything was perfect. It was a master piece, and-  
The shop's doorbell rang. She gasped, and rushed out, ducking under a curtain to come up behind the counter.  
A young troll stood by the door, looking a little lost and confused. Kanaya stiffened when she saw the fins on his neck, and the purple streak through his hair. Thoughts ran through her head, the same thoughts that ran through her head every time a highblood visited her shop.  
Did someone change their mind about me opening a shop? Does someone not know? Will I be culled today? Is this my last day?  
He spotted her, and started walking towards the counter. Kanaya did her best to smile in a friendly, yet respectful of her position, way. He frowned a little, and she could feel her smile falter.  
"Um, hello." He said. He had a wavy accent, and he didn't sound very sure of himself.  
"Hello, and welcome to Jade Clothing and Styles. How may I help you today?" Kanaya asked. She put her hands on the counter, a polite way of showing she didn't have any weapons on her, and looked up and a little to the left of the seadweller, to show she wasn't about to attack and baring her throat in the process. Having highbloods in her shop scared the hell out of her. She was always afraid of missing some piece of etiquette or looking threating or challenging.  
"Erm, do you do…repairs?" He asked, shifting. Kanaya blinked. Repairs? On clothing? Wouldn't it just be faster and cheaper to replace the object? Before she could point this out, he opened his mouth again. "You see, it's a very important thing…Well, a few of them actually. They were shredded while I was on a recent…job. They hold…Sentimental value."  
Ah. That explained it. Kanaya nodded.  
"Of course. I'll be happy to repair it. However, it would be exceedingly easy and much cheaper to simply make a piece of clothing that looks identical. I can do either." Kanaya said. She patted a place on the counter to indicate where he could put his things, and turned around to see what she could use to fix it.  
"No, I'd like these repaired. Thank you." He responded. She turned around, and saw him gently place the things on the counter.  
A few things stood out to Kanaya. First, were the colors. Purple, cobalt, and…Fuchsia? All right, not surprising for one of his blood color. Next, she decided to see what they were. A cape, and two scarves. Or, that's what they had been, at one point.  
"Oh my." Was all Kanaya could muster for a moment. "This is…"  
In a word, they were disastrous. They were more shredded than not. Kanaya put her hands on the counter again and leaned over it to inspect the clothing.  
"Are you…Are you quite sure I can't make you up something new?" She asked in dismay. She looked up, and he nodded. She sighed and looked back down. She was hesitant to even touch them. And was that…Blood? It was. It was blood that was splattered on the clothing. Purple. Just what on Alternia had he been doing?  
"I came here because I heard that you can do stuff like this." He said sharply. Kanaya glanced back up. His lips were set in a straight line, and his eyebrows were descending. He had crossed his arms and drawn himself up. He was getting angry.  
"I can do it." Kanaya said quickly. She held up her hands in a defensive position. _Don't hurt me, I'm not a threat, see? _"It's just that it'll take time. As long as you can wait, I can do it."  
"Wait for how long?" He asked. He relaxed a little.  
"Say…A few days, I think. Maybe longer." Kanay said, looking down at the cloth. If she could even find the materials, it would take a few days. But she probably didn't have the purple cloth, and she definitely didn't have the fuchsia cloth. The blue scarf would be easy to obtain cloth for. "A few days for the blue scarf and probably the cape. I don't know how long for the scarf, but it's possible I don't have any way to fix it. In that case-"  
"You _will_ fix it!" He shouted, slamming his hands on the counter. Kanaya jumped backwards, resisting the urge to put her arms in front of her face. She forced them to stay in front of her torso. She forced herself to keep looking up as well. _Not a threat, not a threat, not a threat. _  
He blinked, and slowly removed his hands from the counter. He looked to his left, focusing on a rack of rust clothing.  
"I…You have to fix it." He said, continuing to look at the cloth.  
"I understand that this is important, especially coming from a seadweller." Kanaya said, praying her voice didn't shake as much as it wanted to. "It's just that I may not have fabric of that sort. I may need dye that I don't have, or fabric or thread." Or all of the above.  
"Yes…I…I see. Thank you, I'll be back in three days." He said. He spun around and quickly walked to the door.  
"Wait!" Kanaya said. He stopped with his hand on the door and glanced behind him. "I need a name to put with the order. You know…In case you send someone else to…pick it up…or something…"  
Kanaya's voice trailed off. He waited for a moment before responding.  
"Eridan Ampora. I like your dress, jade blood." He swung the door open, and stepped out, letting it slam behind him.  
Kanaya looked down at her dress. She mentally cursed herself for wearing clothing like that in front of a costumer. Something like that should be reserved for an indigo blood at least, and probably more often for a purple blood.  
Kanaya picked up her book where she kept orders and such, and wrote down the name. She set the book down and walked back to her living space. She made herself a cup of tea, and brought it back with her. She opened her book and looked down at the name again.  
Kanaya dropped her cup. She knew this name.

* * *

Well, here we go. The only non-one-shot story I currently have. It's going to be quite the adventure. I'm really not sure what's going to happen, but I do intend to include all the other trolls. Hopefully, I'm going to make this really good. Things like why Kanaya is still on planet as an adult will be explained in later chapters. Also, this is an AU, and characters will likely be a little OC. I'll try and update on Fridays, but I'm a bit swamped with stuff lately, so it may be longer.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment! Or just comment to tell me how I'm doing. If you like what I'm writing, or want me to write up a one-shot, I have a whole fanfiction dedicated to one-shots between trolls (and humans) and it covers all quadrants. Request a story over there, or here, and I'll write it up as soon as I can get around to it.


	2. Chapter 2

I got the second chapter up in time. Yay! This one is more filler-y and not quite as good, but the next chapter should be better. And wow! Lots of love! Thank you guys! And ReinaPokemoneOtuaku, I'm so happy to see you here! *Huggles back*

* * *

Chapter two: Explanations.

Kanaya wasn't sure how long she sat and stared at the log book. Long enough that the tea was cold when she wiped it up. She was shaking, and her heart wouldn't slow down.  
Finally, she picked the book back up. She'd only ever seen it written down, so it wasn't really surprising to her that she didn't recognize the name when she heard it. Seeing it here, though, after nearly five sweeps…It was disconcerting, to say the least.  
She glanced over at the clothes. She picked up the cape. It was violet purple, like his blood. It was soft, and warm. If it were her own clothing, she would've buried her face in it, and curled up it. But it was his, and besides…It was very badly mangled. She dropped the cape on the counter.  
The next thing she picked up was the scarf. It was cobalt blue, with a slightly lighter blue in alternating segments. It wasn't as badly mangled as the other scarf and the cape. She spent a moment wondering what this scarf meant to him before the thought hit her. She dropped it like poison.  
The other scarf was ripped the long way in several places. It was a fuchsia color, the color of the empress. She shuddered. This was the color of death.  
Kanaya carefully brought the items to the back of the shop, and left them next to her sewing machine. This was no different than any other job. There was no reason to treat this any different. He didn't even know her name. He had no idea who she was. He had no idea that one of his old chat buddies was the troll fixing his clothing.  
And it would stay that way. Kanaya could remember the threats that he had spewed out, the numerous times he has threatened all land dwellers. But an old memory of him promising not to kill her along with the rest of her people surfaced as she made another cup of tea. She set the cup down and supported herself by propping her arms up on the counter and leaning on them.  
She closed her eyes and exhaled, slow and steady. Ever since she'd gotten permission from the I.G.P.A.C., a group of adult highbloods who watched children and decided where they went when they came of age to leave the planet, to open a small shop from which trolls could buy clothing, she'd been terrified of being culled. It was a rational fear. No one would get in trouble for it, and that was enough incentive for most trolls.  
Kanaya finished making her tea, and walked back into her sewing room. It was her favorite place to spend time. Fabrics of all sorts, thread, needles, her sewing machine, and more were spread out around the room. This was where she made her clothing; this was where her fashion master pieces came to life. She couldn't think of a place she'd rather be. Of course, it would be too crowded to keep everything in this one room, so she used the front room of her shop to show case her clothing, and put everything she finished in there, along with a few boxes of cloth.  
She lived above the shop, in a place that was small, but adequate. Her life was good, and she wouldn't wish for anything else.

Kanaya worked dutifully on fixing the blue scarf, first. She ignored the fact that the color was the same color her lost Moirail identified with. In a few hours of hard work, and at least five cups of tea, she made it workable, useable. The next morning, she made it beautiful.  
The cape was somewhat harder. Even after two and a half days of searching, Kanaya couldn't find a single scrap of violet cloth. She had thread, and had sewn some pieces back together, but now she needed more cloth. Unless, of course, he would be willing to accept it as some mangled piece of garbage. Kanaya wasn't used to selling that sort of service, but it might be necessary. She glanced over the material she had. Maybe…

When the shop door opened, Kanaya walked out with confidence. Then she saw who it was. Eridan. She swallowed.  
"Hello." He greeted politely.  
"Hello." She repeated. He stood there for a moment.  
"So…I'm here to pick up my stuff." He said. Kanaya exhaled.  
"I fixed the blue scarf." She stared. "And some of the cape. But I simply don't have the materials to completely fix the other scarf. I'm very sorry, but it is impossible unless I can get the fabric colors I need."  
Eridan scowled. Kanaya looked down, hoping she looked submissive and not defensive. She could hear an irritated sigh.  
"Very well, show me what you have." He commanded. Kanaya ducked into the back of her shop and brought out the clothing. She dropped it on the counter and look up. Eridan was a bit taller than her, and he scared her. She had to look submissive and act like her class no matter what.  
Eridan picked up the blue scarf. He looked impressed. Eridan glanced at Kanaya. Then he turned his attention to the other scarf. He pressed his lips together as he examined it. Kanaya had done no work on it, and she really hoped he wouldn't cull her on the spot. She didn't even have the thread she needed. It must've passed his inspection, because Eridan dropped it on the counter, and picked up his cape.  
Turning around, he held onto the corners and let the bottom of the cape fall downward so he could see the whole thing. Kanaya winced looking at it. There were a few lines of stitching closing up some of the biggest rips, but the rest was just as awful as when he'd left it there. He dropped it on the counter and looked at Kanaya.  
"As I said, there's not much I can do with it." She whispered. She prayed that he didn't cull her, prayed to whatever god was listening.  
"Oh, it's fine." He said. She looked at him in surprise. Eridan was leaning on the counter, looking thoughtful. "But I do find myself wondering why you're here, working in a shop, instead of working with the other jade bloods, down in the caverns, tending to the mother grub."  
Kanaya felt panic rising in her throat. Here it was. She would tell him, he wouldn't believe her, or would say he didn't believe her, then he would end her life.  
"I…I got permission from the I.G.P.A.C. to run a shop that would clothe the trolls of Alternia. There was a few more jade bloods then normal and I wasn't needed. In return, I would not only take care of the clothing problems, but I would also report any uprisings within the groups of children." She explained. "And, if you don't mind me asking…What…"  
"What am I doing on planet?" He asked when she trailed off. Kanaya nodded. "Well, I feed the empresses Luses. It's a sorry job, but someone needs to do it."  
"Oh." Was all Kanaya could muster. Of course that's what he would do. That's what he did as Feferi's Moirail. Even after she dumped him, Kanaya had heard that he had continued to feed the monster. And if the empress had seen his proficiency in doing that, the only reasonable response would be to allow him to continue, even if that meant leaving more adults on planet and risking another rebellion.  
"So, where can I find the things you need to finish this cape and the scarf?" Asked Eridan.  
"What?" Kanaya tried to pull herself back to the present. Eridan waved impatiently at the clothes.  
:Where can I get the things you need to fix these?" He repeated. Kanaya could hear his growing impatient.  
"Oh, well…" She thought for a few moments. A thought hit her, and she ripped a piece of paper out of her record book. She scribbled down something. "With a blood color as high as yours, you could probably walk right into the I.G.P.A.C. and ask for the materials."  
"The I.G.P.A.C." He said slowly. Kanaya nodded.  
"Yes. It stands for Inter-Galactic Protection for Alternia's Children."  
"I _know_ what it stands for." Eridan snapped. Kanaya took a step back.  
"I'm not really sure were else you could get the supplies." Kanaya said. "Of course, there are probably places. I'm just not a high enough blood color to get them."  
Eridan sighed and stuck the note in his pocket. He picked up the blue scarf and wrapped it around his neck. He glanced at the other things.  
"I'll leave these here for now. I'll try and bring the things needed for fixing them." He said. "Can you give me a list?"  
"Of course." Kanaya quickly jotted down a list, and handed it to him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other things to work on."  
"Wait." Eridan said. Kanaya waited while he seemed to look for the words he wanted. "I was wondering…What's your name?"  
Kanaya panicked. She could feel herself panicking, and glanced about for a weapon. A pair of sewing scissors rested on the counter, but even if, and that was a huge if, she could somehow manage to kill such a high blood, she would be culled the next day. Unless she could hide the body, but that didn't seem likely.  
_Get a hold of yourself, Kanaya! He just asked for your name. Give him a fake one. Besides, are you really worth all the deaths that would occur if Gl'bgolyb wasn't fed?_ She thought.  
"My name is…Um…" She drew a blank. Taking a breath, she answered. "My name is Porrim Maryam."  
Eridan raised an eyebrow. Kanaya had no idea where that came from, only that it seemed the most natural choice. She swallowed.  
"All right." Eridan said. Kanaya's knees went weak with relief. "I'll be back with the supplies as soon as I can."  
Eridan turned and left. Kanaya grabbed the counter. She stood there for several moments, trying not to collapse with relief and fear. Now, if only she could insure that he wouldn't find out what her name was. What would she do if he did? What would he think? Why hadn't she just said Kanaya Maryam?

* * *

The next chapter should be more Eridan centered, I think. I think I'm planning no making this more adventure then I thought, but I'm not sure. Either way, I assure that this "won't be your average love story." *Snickers* If there's a suggestion you guys have, please feel free to tell me. Leave a review if you think the story warrants it. Thanks!


	3. Lost

Okay I am SO SO SO SO sorry for the late update! ;A; I was okay missing the Friday after Christmas, because, c'mon, it's Christmas. But last Friday, I didn't have access to my computer at all, and so I didn't update, even though I swear this was written before then. D:

Anyway, I struggled through this story until the end part. People, we are getting into some of the fun stuff now.

* * *

Chapter three: Lost

She was lying. Of that much, Eridan was sure. Porrim Maryam, or whoever she was, was most certainly lying. He wasn't entirely sure what all she was lying about, but she was lying. He barely registered the muttered greetings from the lowbloods who felt the need to pay him respects. Usually, there were very few.  
But still, he needed his cape and his scarf fixed. She may be lying, but he needed his clothing fixed, and no one else cared about fashion, so no one else could fix his clothing. He sighed, and looked up. He mounted his sky horse, and gently kicked it. Before long, he was at his hive. Dismounting, he strode into his hive.  
Eridam showered, and changed into some clean clothes. He arranged his scarf just the way he liked it. Settling in front of his husktop, he turned it on, and got on troll World of Warcraft. His main character was a level 100 wizard, but he was working on his Death Knight. He was playing solo, mainly because he wanted to. In fifteen minutes, he was lost to reality and happily drowning in his own world.

The next morning, Eridan stumbled out of his hive. He'd gotten no sleep, but he'd gotten no sleep before and knew how to compensate. Mounting his sky horse, he somehow managed to make it to the sky without falling. He watched for movement, and when he saw one, he was quick and decisive. A white animal-like being fell towards the water.  
Eridan watched the waters, and saw as a long, thin tentacle wrapped itself around the dead thing, and dragged it deep, deep, deep down. He turned back to the hunt, and was again lost.

That was how Eridan Ampora lived life. Losing himself in one world and then another, finding life for only a few moments in between. He was slowly gaining himself another name. Orphaner. A name slowly whispered in the shadows to warn other trolls of the coming danger.

"The Ophaner is coming."

It was a call to other trolls to remind them to hide the Lusii, and to hide themselves. Maybe if Eridan hadn't been so lost in his own world, he'd have noticed.  
But someone else noticed. Someone else knew the name. And alone in her cabin, she smiled to herself. She might be captain, she might be queen, she might be dead, she might be any number of things, but she wasn't lost.  
"Well, it's time to find someone, wouldn't you say, Pupa?"  
"Uh…"

* * *

Well, I wonder who that could be... So we're getting some more characters, and the story line is getting more complex. Also, guess who finally got Word of Warcraft. *Raises hand* It was me. I got WoW. Wizard is a class, right? I'm a mage, but I'm, like, 98% sure there's a wizard class. The google ask box is begging to be asked but I'm to lazy.

I'm trying to portray that Eridan's life is in shambles, and he doesn't willingly come into this world for any amount of time. Did I do it? :/ Welp, off to level up my mage!

Also, I'm sorry for the short chapter. But it ended really good there, so... All right, that's all. I should be updating regularly now, every Friday. Reviews are really appreciated. And any suggestions are welcome! I'd love to hear your ideas for where this should go. Happy New Year, everyone!


	4. Going Back

Don't think to hard about this first part. It doesn't make much sense. It's just a sort of explanation because I needed one. Sorry for the lameness. And sorry for the shortness, again. :(

* * *

Chapter four: Going Back

"Three for the rust!"  
"Four!"  
"Sixteen for the gold!"  
"Seven for the olive!"  
Shouts rang out in the hall with screens plastered on every surface, and a teal blooded female gave a dramatic sigh. The only thing worse than communicating directly with the subjuggolators, was having to hear attempts to bid on a group of trolls, each person vying for this one or that one, each person with their own cap, and each person way too loud. She sighed and looked at her boss. He was grinning, and watching as the numbers on the screen racked themselves up.  
And it wasn't like the high bloods would ever even see their purchases. The slaves would be sent to nearby planets, so they wouldn't die of old age before they got to the factories they'd spend the rest of their pathetic lives at. The high bloods were bidding for the _labor_. The labor, of course, would rack up more money. Instead of doing labor themselves, the high bloods would buy the labor of lower blooded trolls, and hope that the trolls lived long enough to work off the money the high bloods had spent on them, and make a little extra. After the trolls reached the amount of labor they were supposed to, they would continue to work, and then the money for the high bloods would roll into their accounts. And the high bloods would turn right around and buy more labor.  
She sighed again, louder, and her boss looked down.  
"WHAT?" He bellowed. She gave him the bird and he laughed.

The teal blood walked down the space station's hallway. She figured she was less than a quarter of a sweep away from Alternia. There was no way to be certain, of course, and she had no intention of asking. That was borderline treason, and would render her completely executable.  
"HEY!" Someone yelled. She turned and looked at her boss. "I've got a surprise."  
"Speak up, sir." She answered.  
"I SAID I'VE GOT A SURPRISE!" He screamed. She winced.  
"What is it?"  
"We're going back."  
"What?"  
"I SAID WE'RE GOING BACK!"  
"Back."  
"Back."

"Your fabric." Something slammed down behind Kanaya and she jumped. She spun around. Eridan was standing behind her, just behind the counter. A small pile of fabric was on the counter. She tried not to shake too badly as she examined the fabric to make sure it was the correct color. It was and she nodded at him.  
"Thank you, Mr. Ampora." She said. "I'll have these done by tomorrow."  
"Really?" He sounded surprised. "What took you so long last time, then?"  
"I had other orders to fill." She said truthfully. He nodded.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
"Yes."

The next morning, Kanaya left the clothes out on the counter with a note. She then closed herself up in her back room and wished that she had more than a cloth separating the two rooms. When Eridan came the next morning, he called for her, and then knocked on the wall. But he didn't come in, and when she walked out later, the clothes were gone.  
Kanaya breathed with relief. Things would go back to normal. Eridan was out of her life again, and she would never see him again.

* * *

The end.

No, I'm joking. I'm completely joking. This is only the fourth chapter, we've not had appearances from anybody other than "mystery" characters, and I still haven't gotten so much as longing glance from either of them. I hoped the story would move faster, but it just isn't. Can anyone guess who the two new characters are? I bet you can. I'm getting all fangirly just thinking about it. I also realize I'm using very few, maybe even none, popular ships in this fic, but I'm using my ships. And they'll never be canon, so let me have my fun. Also, it should be noted that I do not plan on having the kids in this, but…That may change. It might, but it probably won't. Thanks so much for reading, everyone. See you next Friday! And please drop a review. Suggestions are welcome. If there's someone you'd like to see next, please tell me!


	5. Shots Fired

Chapter five: Shots Fired

"I heard."  
"Whale, are you going to do something about it?"  
"What do you suggest I do?!"  
"Don't yell at me!"  
"Sorry."  
"I know.  
"Hey, lotherth, gueth who found food?"  
"Not right now!"  
"Not right now!"  
"Wow, geez, tho ungrateful."

Kanaya brushed her fingers through her hair, enjoying the daylight. She was always careful to not stay out for too long, lest she get burned, but a few minutes out here wouldn't do as much damage to her jade blooded body as to other trolls.  
She sighed, and ducked back into her shop. She really had to get some sleep, but for some reason, there was feeling of unrest in the air. She couldn't settle in, or down, enough to so much as sew a button. She sighed, and tried to relax in a seat in her shop so she could work. Half an hour later, she gave up and went upstairs.  
It had been an eighth of a sweep, and still, Kanaya couldn't relax. She hadn't wanted to admit how much Eridan's visit had shaken her up, but it was becoming hard to even eat. She was constantly worrying about someone culling her.  
She turned off the light, and tossed and turned, until she almost dozed off. But the image of Eridan showing up and harpooning her made her stomach flop, and she woke back up.  
She got up and looked out the window. Something flashing in the distance caught her eye. She gasped.

Eridan wrapped his wound in his fuchsia scarf, gritting his teeth as his blood spattered on the ground. He whimpered and stood up. Someone laughed, and he cringed.  
"Is that the beeeeeeeest you can do, Eridork?" A female voice scoffed. He scowled at her, and raised his gun. She laughed and slapped it away with her sword. Eridan staggered back a little, and tried to raise his gun again. She slapped away, and stepped closer to him. Without warning, she shoved him. Eridan fell backwards.  
"Pupa, just what do you make of this?" She asked someone behind him. Eridan glanced past her legs, to see a bronze blood who looked miserable. Eridan gave him a small smile, then shook his head a little. The boy swallowed and took a step back, looking away.  
Before the girl could step on his chest, Eridan twisted onto his back, dropped his gun, and jumped up. He spun around, fists raised. The girl took a step back.  
"Step off, Vvris." He said. She regained her composure.  
"Well, well, I guess you still have an accent when you get mad enough!" She laughed. The boy stepped back more, and Eridan prepared himself to fight.  
"Vvris, just leavve. Noww." He said. She swung her sword, and then dashed forward, digging it into his shoulder. Eridan twisted away, yanking the sword out of his wound, and punched her in the face. She jerked back, holding her nose and broken glasses.  
"Vvriska Serket," He said, voice shaking. "I, Ophaner, hereby sentence you to execution. Your crimes include, but are not limited to, running from Drones, attacking Drones, destroying Drones, attacking an official, attempting to murder an official, and general disorderly conduct. Your execution shall be carried out by me. I sentence you to death by gun shot."  
There was a thick silence as his words sunk in. She smiled. Eridan could see that the boy behind her understood. He understood both that Eridan didn't want to kill her, and that he would.  
"Veeeeeeeery cute, Eridork." Vriska said. She stepped forward again. Before she could get any closer, Eridan kicked the gun up to himself, and then aimed it at her. She stared at him. There was a moment of silence. He fired.

* * *

One of these days I'm going to write a longer chapter. I really will. *Sighs*

Also, sorry Vriska and Vriska-lovers. I didn't intend to make Vriska a bad guy or shoot her, but...Hey, she might still be alive! I'm...not sure yet. Anyone want to guess who our newest characters are? People who guess correctly can have some of this grub sauce. *holds up Vriska blue bottle* :) I think we only have three more characters to introduce before all twelve of them are here. Anyone know who they are?

Reviews are loved! Until next Friday, my lovely readers.


	6. AN

I am so sorry, but this story will be going on a small pause while I deal with some stuff. I've been busy, so I haven't updated. Hopefully, I'll be back in a short while. Also, I will be taking this chapter down as soon as I'm back.

I'm very sorry, and hope to be back in a few weeks, maybe less. I have a good idea of where the story is headed, and have some stuff written up. So, I'll be back. I'm not leaving this story behind. I'm enjoying it to much.

~Madame Nobody~


	7. Like Fall Out Boy

Yooooo, I'm back loosers! I am back. It's late, so I'm not going to say much. But, seriously, thanks for the awesome reviews! \\(^o^)/ I am back and hopefully with no more breaks at least for a while. And if you guys could leave me a few nice (or bad) reviews, that would be so great. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter six: Like Fall Out Boy, I Don't Have A Short Good Title

The Teal blood used the bar of the ship to swing herself down. She stared at the barren land, quiet. It had been sweeps, but she was back now. She strode over the land, quickly coming to the building where the few trolls who didn't tend to the mother grub and still lived on the planet lived. She could hear banging from inside the ship and paused.  
"Need some help?" She called back. She was repaid with a stream of curses, ending with a honk. She grinned a little, and walked to the building. The trolls inside looked bored and barely paid her a glance.  
A Cobalt asked her name and gave her a confused look when she complied. He shrugged and wrote it down. There was a banging noise, and someone stumbled in, dropping some bags on the floor. He cursed and screamed at the teal blood, who simply rolled her eyes.  
"When you're done with that, come get checked in." She said. He honked angrily at her and flung a bag in her direction. Laughing, she turned her back on him and found the stairs leading up to the second floor of the building, leaving the bag. She found a room, and locked it behind her.  
She stripped, and slid into the recoopracoon with a sigh. The green slime enveloped her, soothing and relaxing. She allowed her thoughts to drift, which was a mistake. She began wondering why she had been brought back. She squeezed her eyes shut. Everything was fine. _He_ was wasn't here. They wouldn't send her after _him_. All she had to do was her job, then she'd be back to her regular life. All she had to do was-  
**_HONK! _**She screamed and squirmed in the green slime, trying to defend herself. She was held down by a single, thin, strangely strong arm. She gave up after a few moments, feeling the slime take her over. There was a soothing honk, and she allowed herself to relax. He would never hurt her, unlike…_him_.

"Kanaya…" Kanaya spun around. Eridan stood in her shop door. He look horrified. He was pressing a body to him, blue blood splattered on both of them. He stumbled in, and dropped the body on her counter. She gasped and jumped back. Eridan was crying. He was crying, and pushing back the troll's hair, and sobbing something out. She stared in horror. A gaping wound ripped through the young troll's torso. But it was still clear it was a girl, and the metal arm and scarred eye were unmistakable.  
_Vriska_. The name flittered across her mind and she firmly set it aside.  
"All right." She grabbed up some cloth, and pressed it against her side. She grabbed Eridan's hand and shoved it over the wound. "Press. Don't let up. She'll bleed to death."  
She turned and grabbed up a needle and thread, and stared at them. A laceration? Not a problem. Big, gapping hole? Er…no. She closed her eyes. Had to stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding. She exhaled, slowly. Stop. The. Bleeding.  
Kanaya's eyes snapped open, and she yanked Eridan's hand off the cloth. She pulled off the cloth and pushed the clothing on Vriska's body away from the wound. She looked at it for a moment, then pressed a new cloth into it. She pushed Eridan's hand back over the cloth.  
She allowed her thoughts to attempt to find a solution. She couldn't heal her. And the only people who could were the adults on the base…but they were too far away to help. If only there was someone closer…someone who could help, who would know what to do.  
If only…She ignored the sobbing and looked at the doorway. A lowblood was staring in, blank faced. He just stared at her. She stared back, thoughts turning.  
"Kan?" She looked at Eridan. "What do I _do_?"  
She looked down. The wound was charred, partly, like….She gasps. Cauterized. The wound had been cauterized by something. That was how they could stop the bleeding. She dashed into her back room. Taking the stairs three at a time, she tried to get too her room as fast as possible. She threw open her wardrobe, and fumbled around, a few different lipsticks falling to the ground. She choose a candy-red one. She heard someone calling her name. Dashing back down, Kanaya rushed to the counter.  
"Here, be careful." Kanaya warned. Eridan nodded and the low blood took a step back. Kanaya twisted it, and a tool popped out. She pulled the cloth and hands away from the wound, and turned on the tool. She sent up a prayer to whoever was listening, and took a breath.  
The smell of flesh and blood burning forced her to swallow the vomit that rose in her throat. The examined the wound. It didn't go all the way through, it wasn't even very deep. It looked like it missed most of her most important parts of her insides…but that was a lot of blood. She moved the cauterization tool, and hoped she knew what she was doing.

"Thooo?"  
"No."  
"Hehe."  
"Nope."  
"Pffft."  
"Not a chance."  
"Oh my goth, you are."  
"I am not!  
"Ahahahahahaaaa…."  
"Oh, shut _up_!"


	8. Realizations

Chapter seven: Realizations

The smell of spoor washed off her body, as she stood in the shower. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed in the steam, enjoying the smell of water and heat. She could taste left over faygo and grub sauce even though she hadn't eaten since the previous morning. Shutting off the water, the teal blood grabbed a towel and dabbed herself off. Sliding on her teal and red outfit, she paused. She slid on her pants and undershirt, then hugged the shirt to her face.  
She squeezed her eyes shut, and buried her face in it, allowing the smell to wash over her and block out the world. She made a small noise in the back of her throat, and didn't notice when the door opened. She did, however, notice when the shirt was ripped out of her hands. She spun and sniffed the air, blinking it the intruder.  
The smell of purple calmed her, and she relaxed. She stuck out a hand.  
"Give that back." She said, grinning a little.  
"Nah." He stepped closer, and slid it over her head. She slid her arms in the shirt, cackling a little. He pulled it down around her, and used his position to wrap his arms around her waist, and pull her close to him. She grinned up at him, aware that her smile wasn't pretty, but edging on insane. He grinned back, and kissed the tip of her nose. A hand reached up, and held out her glasses. She shook her head, and tried to snatch them away. His deep chuckle reverberated in the small bathroom, and he slid them on her nose. She huffed and shoved him back out of the bathroom. He grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to the couch. He settled on it, and she sat next to him.  
"I thought we were going to be hunting some trolls." She said, relaxing next to him. He pulled a book out and opened it.  
"We will." He began reading about his clowns, out loud, his voice even and calming. The Teal blood relaxed more, her breathing evening out.  
She'd learned to take his mood swings in stride. She'd rest now, and later, she'd hunt. It could be days before she got another chance to rest.

Kanaya washed the gore off her hands, trying to remember to breathe slowly and evenly. At least the wretched sobbing had stopped. She grabbed the teapot she'd heated up and made four cups of tea. One for Eridan, one for her, one for Vriska, and one for the bronze blood that was still standing in the doorway, as far as she knew. She quickly worked in her back room to make the tea perfect. It was a distraction she sorely needed.  
It wasn't until she picked up the tray that it hit her. It hit her hard enough that she dropped her tray. The shattering noise didn't even make her jump. She was frozen with fear. Her blood ran cold, and she remembered the exact words Eridan had said when he walked into her shop.

And when someone stepped behind her, Kanaya Maryam knew that everything was over.


	9. Red, Green, Blue

Chapter nine: Red, Green, and Blue

"Equiusssss, I'm bored of watching you build stupid robots. I wanna go hunt something!" An olive blood was sprawled over a workbench, watching her indigo moirail work. He was currently fixing a scanner on an imperial drone, from sector #292, client #46, and the wiring was extremely delicate, as well as fried. He had been ignoring her for nearly three nights now.  
She slowly climbed off the workbench and wandered into the nutrition block. A robot was pouring a container of milk, into a steel glass Equius had made up some time ago to withstand his strength. The robot glanced at her, and she could actually hear the wirring sounds as it processed Nepeta's appearance. A few moments too late, it spoke.  
"Hello, Nepeta. How are you this evening. I hope it finds you w-w-w-w-….well." The robot ignored it's messed up speech patterns, from the stutters to the flat tone. After all, that was what it was programmed to do, wasn't it?  
"Hello, Aradia." Nepeta said. She'd long since dropped all pretense of friendliness and acceptance. Her voice held all the sarcasm and hatred she'd garnered over the past few sweeps for the robot. "How are you?"  
"I am fine. Th-th-thank you for as-as-asking. How may I-I-I-I be of service to you." The bot asked. Nepeta stepped forward and smacked the cup out of the bots hands. The bot looked down at the cup, slowly realizing what had just happened. "I seem, seem, seem to have dropped the drink. My apologies. Allow me to retrieve another one."  
"Yeah, do that. Because that's exactly what you want to-"  
"Nepeta!" She jumped at the sound, every hair standing on end. She slowly turned, to behold a very angry Equius. He stormed forward, and even though Nepeta new perfectly well that he wouldn't touch her, she took a step back. She stared up at him in a mixture of horror and fear. "What do you think you are doing?"  
"I-I-"  
"You were antagonizing Aradia for no reason other than that it pleased you!" His voice was far louder than the situation called for. _Typical highblood._ Nepeta thought. "Go to your room!"  
"You can't make me do anything, Equius." She snarled. She couldn't help it, she actually snarled her words out at him, her frustration bubbling over at last. He growled, and pointed towards her respite block. She stormed up to him, placed her hands on his chest, and shoved. He stumbled back, half a step. Nepeta knew it was only the surprise of the action that made him stumble back, but couldn't help a snort of derision and triumph.  
She shoved past the blue blood and slammed the door to her respite block. She didn't even glance at the long abandoned shipping wall. It was half covered with some hastily and sloppily stitched together clothing, the paint and soot smeared beyond being recognizable. She slammed herself on the resting platform, cramming her face into a pillow she'd made. Everything was made by her or Equius. There was no one around to help them make the stuff or to make stuff for them. And the allowance Equius got went towards food and more raw materials.  
Nepeta didn't get any allowance. Everything was given to her by Equius, or occasionally by a member the I.G.P.A.C. And every so often, some other high blood would give some trinket or other. Actually, that had been happening more and more lately. She had a shelf filled with small trinkets, from little coral carvings to a rare jewel to a stuffed bird. Her favorite had been sent by the Orphaner. It was a olive coral carving of a meowbeast. She had no idea who this "Orphaner" was, only what Equius had told her.  
He was, apparently, a troll with quite some influence. He fed the empress's luses, and killed other lusii, earning him the title of Orphaner. Equius often fixed the weapons he sent over, and then sent them back, offering advice for father improvements, advice that was often accepted. If his advice was accepted, Equius would usually be delighted, as that meant he could work more on the weapons and make them better, faster, stronger.  
Nepeta had never spent that much time thinking about Equius's work. He simply fixed the Imperial drones and other machines that the empire needed. He would often build robots as well. Nepeta never bothered herself with his work anymore. There wasn't any point.

Nepeta stared at the meal that had been set out for her. It was completely meatless. Time and time again, she'd offered to go hunt for meat, and every time, Equius had said no. Stupid, stupid, stupid…  
She sat down across from the bot. Equius was at the head of the table, as provider and highest blood. The bot didn't eat anything, as it hadn't been programmed to, and Nepeta just stared down at her plate. She wasn't hungry. She knew that Equius would reprimand her sooner or later for not eating, but she simply couldn't bring herself to care. And when he did indeed yell at her, she simply gave a little hum of acknowledgment and didn't say anything else. He sent her back to her room and she went without a word.  
However, as she was leaving, she felt a chill race up her spine. She turned and saw the bot just staring at her. Nepeta gulped and hurried to her room. She slammed the door behind her, pusher racing. There was…_something_ in the bots eyes…in _Aradia's_ eyes, and Nepeta didn't like it, not on bit.  
Because…for a moment, for just a brief, single moment, she saw Aradia…_thinking. _And she had _not _been programmed to do that.

Nepeta was up and down the rest of the night. She felt both feverish and chilled. She kept thinking she was going to throw up, but never did. She felt jittery and couldn't settle down, no matter how much she tried to.  
She just couldn't get that_ look_ out of her mind. It looked like Araidabot was…was alive, and that thought was awful and made her sick. The thought that that poor, damaged, tortured little bot could be alive was…sickening.  
Nepeta finally gave up. She sat up and lit a match, then sat next to her shipping wall. She remembered how it used to calm her, make her happy to write on this. She sighed and pulled away everything that had been hiding it. All of her old ships were still there.  
She ran her fingers over the _Nepeta Equius_ painting. It had been one of her favorites. One of her oldest and most beloved ones. She gave a muffled little sob and looked at the _Karkat 3 Nepeta!_ Painting. Oh, how things had changed. Feferi, Karkat, Sollux…dead, or taken by the empress. Eridan, Gamzee, Terezi, Kanaya, Tavros, Vriska all taken off planet to where ever the empire need them. And Equius and Nepeta left alone. With Aradiabot.  
Nepeta knew that the only reason she was left alone was because Equius had requested her presence. She also knew that the only reason they had allowed Equius to stay, and to keep her, was because they needed someone as devoted and talented as him.  
For a while, Nepeta thought things would get better. That Equius wouldn't have to work so much, and Aradiabot would get less creepy. Then she'd thought that Equius would see the pain the bot was in and put here out of her misery. That didn't happen.  
Things had gotten worse, not better. Equius had dived into his roll. Aradia bot had turned into just another brain dead bot. Nepeta thought the Aradia part had long since died again, left for whatever hell or heaven might await them. (_But that look._) And Nepeta had been left alone. Until tonight.  
That look had told her everything she needed to know. Aradia was still in there…somewhere. And that meant that Nepeta had to help her. (_But that look_.) No matter what.

* * *

*Flips through notes.* *Looks up.* Kanaya? Kanaya who? The girl this story is about? Oooooh, right, _that_ Kanaya. *Flips through more notes.* Yes, I know Aradiabot is post-medium entering, but it will all be explained. And who can _exposition_? Badly executed exposition. This is really just for fun though, not like I'm being graded on it. I'm not being graded on this, am I?

So, I am pretty sure you know who these guys are. And that would clear up any doubt you've had about other characters. People who guess get this left over grub sauce! *Waves jar of cobalt grub sauce.* And people who guesses correctly get this. *Waves jar of Jade grub sauce.*


End file.
